Global Notes #6

. What They Say
Gary Samore, director of studies at the influential Council on Foreign Relations says; â€œYou could have Superman become the US ambassador to Baghdad now and he couldnâ€™t fix the problems or put the pieces together again.â€ George W. Bush is looking a lot like Humpty Dumpty these days.
Going back into the files I came across an editorial by William Jones, former US ambassador to Haiti under Carter. Jonesâ€™ hatred and fear of Aristide and the attempt to help the poor just oozes from his writing. Says Jones, â€œThe misguided threats of the present administration to redistribute wealth must stop. A legal code favoring capital investment should be drawn up as soon as possible by trained professionals, not by politiciansâ€¦ The old Marxist notions of class warfare and hostility to business â€“ still popular in Haiti â€“ have no place in the modern world. Foreign investment must be encouragedâ€¦Haitian political and economic leaders must accept it is in their interests to fall in step with the international communityâ€¦ by overcoming traditional destructive patterns of behavior.â€ Just one example of imperialism in its most naked form.
(FT, 2/25/04 P.13. Haiti needs surgery, not a bandage.â€ William Jones)
. First Iraq Fragging Case
US troops killing and wounding their officers became a common occurrence in Viet-Nam. We now have our first case in Iraq, where Staff Sgt. Alberto Martinez faces charges that he fragged his commanding officers in his national guard unit near Tikrit. Killed were Capt. Phillip Esposito and 1st Lt. Louis Allen.
. IMF gives China Good Advice
Worried about all that money sitting in Chinese banks and an economy over-heating with too much investments the IMF suggested that the Chinese government require state-owned companies pay dividends to the government that could then be used to fund social spending. Yes thatâ€™s right, neo-liberals telling Communists to tax corporations and increase government spending on the poor. The world has truly turned upside down.
(FT 11/1/06, â€œIMF fears as China growth rate set to exceed 10.5%.â€ Krishna Guha)
. US Demands Taiwan Buy More Weapons
US hegemonists who see China as an enemy are still using Taiwan as a southern front in their encirclement strategy. Recently both political and economic desires merged for the military/industrial complex when the US government demanded that Taiwan sign-off on an $18 billion package that includes eight submarines, Patriot missiles and aircraft. Since the beginning of electoral democracy in the early 1990s Taiwanâ€™s defense budget has dropped from 30 percent of the GDP to just 2 percent. The $18B US package has been rejected by parliament on more than 60 votes. Tired of this democratic foolishness the US representative in Taiwan, Stephen Young stated; â€œTaiwan cannot allow its vital security concerns to be held hostage to domestic partisan politics. We will be watching closely and will judge those who act responsibly and those who play politics.â€ Actually Young has in mind US security concerns as well as US domestic politics and contracts. While the exact implications of his threat is left unstated, Youngâ€™s imperialist arrogance is crystal clear.
(FT, 10/27/06, p. 6. â€œUS presses Taiwan on defence deal.â€ Kathrin Hille)
. German Capitalists Back Republicans
Although the US government often finances pro-American candidates in elections around the world, its illegal for US candidates to accept money from foreign sources. That is unless they are foreign companies with US affiliates, then the money can flow. Twelve US subsidiaries of German transnationals have given $2.5 million in the mid-term campaign of 2006.
Of this, 68 percent went to Republicans with the biggest donors being DaimlerChrysler, BASF, SAP and Boehringer. Deutsche Bank was the one exception, funneling 71 percent of their funds to Democrats.
(FT. 11/3/06, p. 6. â€œGerman companies give to Republicans)

One Response to “Global Notes #6”

As a matter of fact, the United States is being very very dishonest when it is promoting arms sales to Taiwan. Why? Consider this: Taiwan was Japanese territory up until the coming into force of the post-war San Francisco Peace Treaty on April 28, 1952. The ROC military forces under Chiang Kai-shek (CKS) had been sent to Taiwan to accept the surrender of Japanese troops, and the date of that surrender (Oct. 25, 1945) marks the beginning of the military occupation of Taiwan. Hence, in 1949, when CKS moved his ROC government to occupied Taiwan, he was in fact becoming a government in exile. At any rate, the truth is now out, and a new federal lawsuit in Wash. D.C. is demanding that the US government recognize the Taiwanese people’s fundamental rights under US laws, including the US Constitution. The fact of the matter is that according to the laws of war, CKS accepted the surrender of Japanese troops on behalf of the Allies, but the ensuing military occupation of Taiwan was conducted on behalf of the “conqueror” and “principal occupying power” — the United States of America. A full summary of the lawsuit is online here — http://www.taiwankey.net/dc/suitsuen3.htm Thankfully, under this formulation, the Taiwanese can have everything they really want — a new constitution, new flag, new territorial seal, etc. etc. — under US administrative authority.